A while ago we wrote about how the state of Washington still considers tenkara “illegal” in fly-fishing only waters. Tim Harris of the blog Northwest Tenkara has been the main driving force to get tenkara legitimized in the regulations for the state by actually including the term “tenkara” in their regs.
It’s super easy to give your input in the form of a public comment. Just visit this link and enter a few words for why tenkara should be allowed in fly-fishing-only waters. I just commented and it took me only a minute to do.
THANK YOU for helping legalize tenkara in Washington.

8 Responses to Legalize Tenkara in Washington – Follow up

Although I’m no longer a resident of Washington, I attended UW for my PhD, I strongly feel that tenkara should be included in the fly fishing only waters.

Tenkara is the modern version of original fly fishing using only a rod, line and fly(s). This method was used in Europe and Japan for centuries before the relatively recent invention and adaption (1850’s)of the fly reel and short fly rods. Inclusion of tenkara in fly fishing only waters honors this centuries long definition of fly fishing.

In fly fishing the rod casts the fly line, a distributed mass, and the relatively weightless fly goes along for the ride. In other types of fishing the rod casts a concentrated mass at the end of the line which pulls the line after the weighted bait or lure. Tenkara, like all fly fishing, casts a distributed mass and so fits this definition of fly fishing.

Due to its long history and method of fly delivery I strongly urge that tenkara be included in fly fishing only waters.

Tenkara fly fishing should be allowed in your fly fishing only waters. It is a huge mistake to not allow Tenkara as it is fly fishing. I tie my own flies. I cast them with my Tenkara rod.

Tenkara and similar styles of “fixed-line” fly fishing is where modern fly fishing came from. The main difference is that there is no reel.

I live in Oregon and I frequently travel to Washington to fish. Upon doing so I always stop to purchase a multi-day fishing license. I was considering purchasing a year long license for next year. However, I have recently switched over to Tenkara for my fishing gear and if I’m not allowed then I will not go and you will lose my money.

Jonathan, while I agree with your sentiments regarding the silliness of the regulations, the fact remains that they*are* regulations. In my many years of contact with open space and forest rangers and Dept of Wildlife folks, they take their jobs very seriously, and it’s a good thing, otherwise we’d have folks dynamiting fish out of the holes! If a DOW officer in Washington comes upon a tenkara fisherman, he/she is currently legally obligated to issue a fine (maybe even confiscate equipment?), so the only logical way out of this conundrum is to petition the authorities to allow tenkara fishing.